


she is herself

by stickynote_chan



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen, Present Tense, finding oneself fic, i needed to get this out of my system okay, its a soulsearching fic hell fucking yes, katara centric, katara deciding that she maybe needs a moment to think before jumping into a relationship, katara pov, this is gen, will hopefully actually update this lol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-09-10 21:56:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8940994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stickynote_chan/pseuds/stickynote_chan
Summary: She just wants to figure out herself before she has to figure out herself-and-something-else.





	

Katara sits Aang down and gently explains that she's fourteen, just got out of a war that has been her  _ entire _ life, had seen several people who she loves almost  _ die _ , and she's now rethinking herself because she realised just how  _ crazy  _ it was that she had resigned herself to dying that day when the world turned and the Comet streaked the sky blood red  _ and just how accepting she had been of that _ . She feels too old and too young at the same time. She's  **_lost_ ** . So basically, she’s dealing with a  _ lot _ of emotional baggage and Spirits consuming  _ confusion _ with everything now.

“Please don't let me hurt you because I can never forgive myself if I do,” she says as kindly but firmly as she could. “I'm being selfish right now, I'm sorry but I think I really need this to sort out myself before I can even think of setting out a romantic relationship, Aang.”

She's desperate she knows. But this Aang who had defeated Ozai without killing, this Aang who mastered the Avatar state is different from the boy who kissed her even after she said she wasn't sure.

He smiles with acceptance she knew she will  _ always  _ love and resent him for. “Of course, Katara. I think,  _ I _ might need a bit more soul-searching myself.” He looks out the window and it strikes her how young he looks with the sun rays shining into his grey Airbender eyes, how innocent he still was without blood on his hands and a destiny fulfilled. “I think we might all need one.”

She follows his eyes out into the courtyard of the Fire Palace and the first person she sees is Zuko. It was a combination of the tiny remnants of her Zuko-paranoia but mostly him being her Spirits be damned  _ patient _ . “That moron! He's not even supposed to be up yet much less frolicking about!”

Aang laughs and it lights up his face. Katara joins him after a few more seconds glowering at the stupid knucklehead she calls her friend. A soft smile graces her face and it feels amazing after the whirlwind of the past couple of _ days _ (a hundred year old war just  _ ended  _ a few  _ days ago _ ) to just sit here for a moment with her best friend and grin.

She can see Zuko looking up at them and she does her best to glare at him even though she's feeling too happy to really do her best disappointed-mom look (Suki’s words). He's grinning and rubbing the back of his neck with the arm he can actually move without incredible faint-inducing pain paralysing him. She rolls her eyes but does the _I'm-watching-you_ hand gesture and he laughs although he's clearly trying to hide it and look contrite.

It's a happy moment.

Turning away from the window, she stands up and places her hand on his shoulder. “Thanks Aang, for being yourself, always.”

“Thank  _ you _ Katara,” he says and looks up at her with a smile that spreads across his face from ear to ear. And she knows he will be her Miracle Iceberg Boy forever no matter what their relationship was.

She arrives at the garden (okay so she might have ran a bit to get there as quickly as she could but what she only knew was hers) just in time to see Zuko and Aang exchange fire signals. It's such a good thing she supervised most Zuko-interactions before the Life Changing Trip and actually paid attention to  _ everything _ .

“Don't you even think of running Firelord Zuko,” she says, playfully intimidating.

Zuko whips around to face her and raises his hands but his face is guilty with sheepishness.

“I swear I was only out here to look at the, uh, turtleducks.”

He doesn't stutter too bad and he definitely didn't not look away from her but mostly it's the lame tone he uses at the end that tells her he's being sincere. She laughs and he looks up with a blush.

“This does totally not let you off the hook for disobeying your medic,” she jabs a finger at him and he hurriedly nods to appease her because they both knew he will never actually stay put. It's a trait everyone of Team Avatar holds. “But,” and now he looks hopeful and she smiles, “looking at turtleducks sounds cute.”

They were  _ adorable _ .

**Author's Note:**

> IVE HAD LITERAL DREAMS ABOUT ATLA ~~mostly zutara lol fucking rip me~~ AND I NEEDED TO GET THIS OFF ME IM SORRY. ITS LIKE TWO IN THE MORNING OKAY
> 
> ps. god damn yuri on ice freaking killed me okay like i swear to god if they are not married by at the end of this weeks episode I will rIOT.
> 
> peace out and I sincerely hope everyone has a fucking amazing week


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